Rush Limbaugh[/caption]Carol Forsloff - Recent remarks made by Rush Limbaugh raise questions about the type of language represented in the media that magnifies, expresses, or reflects the language that is accepted by a culture.
In responding to a female activist with reference to birth control and its inclusion in healthcare legislation, Rush Limbaugh called Sandra Fluke a femme Nazi, a word he himself coined some years ago about female proponents of equality. Christian Science Monitor asks the question, "Has Rush Limbaugh finally gone too far?"
Raising this question allows examination of what is acceptable in public speech, specifically from the media in response to issues. While there are some folks who consider Rush Limbaugh more of an entertainer than a journalist, the radio host and provocateur offers snippets of news along with his comments about recent events and is listened to by millions of individuals who see Limbaugh as a source of information on current affairs.
Sandra Fluke testified about women's rights to contraception. She is a Georgetown University law student. Republican lawmakers have produced an all-male panel to refute inclusion of contraception as a free benefit under the new Healthcare bill. The Democrats addressed their concerns by selecting Fluke as a woman articulate in women's rights.
Following her testimony, Limbaugh addressed the issue of contraception and how he sees it as a way for women to receive welfare and a service without paying for it in order to get as much sex as they want. It is what he said further that has raised controversy and questions about what is appropriate speech in the media.
After labeling Fluke a "slut" and a "prostitute", Limbaugh went on to say “If we are going to have to pay for this then we want something in return, Ms. Fluke,” Limbaugh said on his radio show earlier this week. “And that would be the videos of all this sex posted online so we can see what we’re getting for our money.”
So what is verbal abuse? Experts tell us there are specific characteristics to it. Some of these are the following: First it is said to be hurtful and directed towards demeaning an individual. The abuse can be subtle or direct, with name-calling and angry outbursts. It is often used as a means of control. In addition it is often unpredictable and shocking. Experts further tell us there is often no closure from the abuse, and the issues that provoked it can remain unresolved. The abuser is focused primarily on the anger and control.
In reviewing what occurred concerning Rush Limbaugh's verbal attack specifically on Sandra Fluke and the issue of contraception and healthcare legislation, Christian science Monitor reflects on the fact that the controversial radio host will likely not back down, then quotes a key Republican in response to concerns about verbal abuse as this“It doesn’t help,” said Carly Fiorina, National Republican Senatorial Committee vice chairman, on "CBS This Morning." “That language is insulting, in my opinion. It’s incendiary and most of all, it’s a distraction.”
That type of distraction experts tell us is more than a distraction and an example instead of control and manipulation. The excuse that the victim deserved it is insufficient according to the same experts and a reflection of the misunderstanding about verbal abuse and how hurtful it can be when it is used by a public figure such as Limbaugh. It tortures political and social debate, according to Michael Brenner, and in doing so widens the chasm of understanding that is required to govern, and to vote, with knowledge and responsibility.